Pivot Point
by Emerith
Summary: Third story in Hector's Saga. Swinging Door, Breaking the Habit A turning point for Hector. Stories rated for language and inference.
1. Chapter 1

_Author:_ Emerith Damera

_Title:_ Pivot Point (#3)

_Chapter#:_ 1

_Category:_ Angst / Adventure / Romance

_Pairing:_ Hector / Steph / Lester

_Rating:_ This chapter really isn't bad at all.. Maybe some language. Surprising, I know.

_Summary: _The 3rd story in Hector's saga. Ranger negotiates for Hector's knowledge.

_Disclaimer:_ The characters in this story (with the exception of Rufio, all mine) belong to Janet Evanovich, I make nothing from them. Just a wee bit of amusement.

_Warning!!_ Really not much of a warning here.. Except maybe an allusion to gasp boys who like each other! snort

Ya'll should know by now I don't write for the light of heart.

_Author's Note: _Huge Thanks must go out to the team of wonderful Beta-Girls who helped me keep my ass in line on this one. Wouldn't have been able to do it without ya! (I ain't naming names, ya'll know who you are, and I love ya for it!)

Thanks for holding out for this guys! Hector and I are having a great time writing this together and plan to keep it up until he's happy that everyone knows the whole story. Once again though, there were parts of this story that he wrote without me, I'd be peeved if I didn't think they were pretty good. Sexy man's my damn weak spot.

The music for the first chunk of flashbacks in this chapter and the next, is:  Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries (I know, I know, I have issues)

Enjoy Ladies!

**Pivot Point**

**1**

My name is Hector Koa Aguila.

It means 'Steadfast Warrior Eagle' in a combination of my Mother & Father's native languages.

For the last few hours I've been holed up in my apartment with two breathtaking specimens of the human condition.

Lester and Stephanie.

Yes, for lack of a better term, I am bi-sexual. Although I prefer not to label it. Why does emotion have to be labeled? Why can't it just be felt and enjoyed for the exquisite thing it is?

Not only were they both wonderful to look at, but they were both quickly finding a place in my heart. It was the little things. They seemed so big when you weren't used to experiencing them. There was a point in my life where simply treating me like a human being was enough to garner someone my loyalty. No one has ever treated me more like an equal, shown me more respect, sincerity, trust or loyalty than these two amazing people.

I wanted both of them to be more to me than just a casual experience.

Only one other person in my life has ever meant that much to me before. Losing him had cost me dearly. It was over a year before I could breathe again without feeling the pain of his absence squeeze around my heart like an iron fist. Lester had been the one to get me through the worst of it. More long tense months would pass before I was able to let go of Rufio's ghost and give in to what I'd felt for Lester since the beginning.

Losing Rufio made me a different person. Shattered the already fractured mask I was using to keep the real world at bay. But these two people had a right to know who I was. They need to know what I've been. What could still be inside of me. They meant enough to me to finally tell someone. But I had to start out small.

I lay on my stomach in my bed, naked as the day I was born. My hands laced on my pillow, my chin resting on them. Lester and Stephanie were curled tightly together against my right side, each trailing fingers up and down my back, tracing the tribal lines of my tattoo or just making random patterns. Their soft touches lulled me with a sense of comfort I wasn't used to as I proceeded with my tale.

OoOoOoO

_Up until a few short days previous, I was a relatively high ranking member in the local Tribe of The Almighty Nation of Latin Kings and Queens, a rather virulent street gang. There were Tribes up and down the East Coast, on the streets, and much stricter sects in prisons in just about every major city._

_Now they wanted my head._

_Sitting two seats away from me at the head of a long conference table was the man who might be my salvation._

_Ranger Manoso._

_I was currently sitting in a corporate conference room on the fifth floor of RangeMan. A high end security company, owned by Manoso. Or so he'd said while explaining to me what my duties would be as one of his employees, were I to accept his deal. _

_Training, training and more training. The first part of which would take me to Miami, on his dime. Not that I'd complain, the memories in Jersey were too fresh, getting away from them at that point was probably the best thing for me. And I'd never turn down a chance to learn something new._

_Six months in Miami he said. That would give his men time to train me in the hardware and electronics they frequently used on jobs, as well as the gadgetry and Intel tricks of their particular trade. Sounded promising. Some men felt about their porno mags the way I felt about electronics and gadgets._

_Ranger also assured me it would be enough time for him to clean up LK from Newark and Trenton's streets, just as long as the information I gave them was enough… _

_It was enough.. It had to be enough. Rufio couldn't go un-avenged, and I'd decided I was taking every single one of the bastards down for what they'd done to him. Crossing Koa had always had it's price, this time, the price would be their lives. Those who survived being hunted and taken down by Manoso and his men would undoubtedly rot the rest of their lives in a cell. _

_I'd rather feel their blood on my own hands, know that I was personally making amends for not being able to save him.. But if I wanted to truly fight for the Angels now, I couldn't do that. So Ranger's plan sounded good enough for me. _

"_When things are cleared up, and you've finished the required training in Miami, you'll be brought back here. Tank and Lester will take over your physical training, and you'll spend a few more months working with them before you finally settle into your work here. I'll keep the apartment we put you in last night available for your return." _

_Ranger's attention hadn't wavered from me since I'd set foot in the conference room nearly an hour before. He'd simply settled into his chair, leveled that intense gaze of his on me, and began slowly outlining every good reason he could come up with for me to sell him my soul. _

_Had he known before I walked in the door that I had already planned to give him what he wanted, I couldn't be sure that he would have been as cordial, or as charitable with his resources. But as things stood now, it looked like Lester had kept the previous nights visit to himself. As of now, no one else knew my secrets. _

"_You'll be paid throughout your training. A sliding scale that will rise with your levels of expertise. Once you pass all of your training and are taken off of probation a pre-defined set of bonuses will be available to you each year. There's also, of course, an entire benefits and healthcare package that will kick in with your official hiring as well."_

_If it were healthy to imagine Ranger Manoso in a tutu with a wand.. I'd be inclined to call him my Fairy Godfather.. But I liked my testicles just where they were at. I should probably stop him before he gets carried away and offers me the Golden Gate Bridge. _

_I held my hand up, stopping him just before he started off into another list of the fabulous benefits of working for the right side of the law. _

"_Before you go any further I should tell you, I've already made my decision. I'll give you the information you want. You don't have to keep baiting me." _

_I tried not to sound scornful as I said it, but really.. Even for the information they needed, he was offering too much. No one gives you this much simply for some information. Not stability. Because that's exactly what he was offering me. Stability. And the ability to take care of and handle myself. In my life it had always been 'Give me what I want, and I'll take care of you'. Never before had someone made this kind of offer. 'Give me what I want and I'll give you the tools to take care of yourself.'_

_Something flickered across his face for a moment. Something unreadable. But it was there all the same. _

"_Can we have a moment Men." _

_He didn't phrase it as a question, and I knew that as well as his men did. I bit back on my apprehension as they filed out of the room. _

_I had a feeling he wouldn't straight out kill me right here in his conference room. Wouldn't want to get blood on the freshly painted white walls. I had no clue exactly why the idea of being alone in a room with him made me so squeamish. _

_The aura of menace that rolled off of him, maybe. _

_You just knew instinctively that when this man was around, _you _weren't in control of things. I had a real hard time with not being in control of things. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't an authority issue per se. I could work under other people, I'd done it before. Just as long as I had a handle on my own environment. I didn't like going into things blind. _

_When the door closed softly behind Lester, Ranger lifted his eyes from the table to meet mine. I braced for the chill of danger, but his eyes were no longer the icy mask I'd quickly gotten used to. Suddenly Ranger Manoso was human. His dark brown eyes were so sad. A phantom pain tracing the edges, bleeding out into the tiniest creases across his face. Like he was showing me a small fraction of his true self and holding the rest back physically hurt him._

_"Normally I wouldn't give a shit about something like this, but I want you to know why I'm making you this offer." His eyes were still very much human as he spoke to me, but a solemnity had settled behind them._

_"When Plum first handed me your file, I had no idea who you were. This office hasn't been here more than a few months, we've barely gotten our feet wet in Trenton." He shook his head from side to side for a moment with an almost wistful smile, before going on._

"_I did the research just like we would with any other skip. Your juvenile record hadn't been sealed because you dropped off the map after you were released into state custody the second time. Your name hadn't been registered in any government system again until this, so your whole history was there." _

_A hesitant pause, one more thing I wouldn't have expected._

"_I grew up in Newark too Hector," he met my eyes again and this time I just couldn't place the look. Diffidence maybe.. Indecision. "Not the same part of town, but I still remembered your story. My parents followed your trial like you were their own son. I had just come back for college, I can still hear my mother telling me over and over again, 'If you hadn't cleaned up your act you would have ended up just like that poor Hector boy."_

_He seemed to physically shake off the emotion that had been clouding him, his face returning to a much more humane version of the shrewd businessman who'd sat at this table earlier. They genuinely seemed like two different people. _

_How could one person handle so many guises? It had been so hard for me just to maintain myself and the street persona. Without Rufio I probably would have truly turned into the monster I pretended to be. But Ranger Manoso seemed to have more masks up his sleeve then I could ever conceive of. Like a thousand tiny sparkling facets of one carefully hidden personality that would encompass them all were it ever allowed to see the light of day. _

_There was a lot more to Ranger Manoso then I'd thought there was. _

"_Your juvenile history wasn't the only thing in your file though. When you were brought in a few weeks ago, the officer on duty did a short work-up on your tattoos. Enough so that someone with gang knowledge could figure out who you were."_

_So that's how he knew. Maybe he wasn't all seeing after all. Maybe he just knew where to look to figure out the little things. _

"_I don't understand why you're telling me any of this." And it was true. I didn't. What did my criminal record have to do with his job offer? It made no sense to me whatsoever. _

_The look on his face told me that _if _he were the type of man who sighed, now would be the time to do it. Frustration and a certain wariness. His hands ran back over the top of his long dark hair, tightening the leather strap that held it at the base of his neck. A gesture I'm sure not many saw. Nervousness did not become this man._

"_I walked the path that led where you are. A few short years before you did. Had it not been for my parents stepping in when they did, I might have been there." He hesitated again, but I was already pretty sure I knew where he was going with his speech. "Your state records were there as well Hector. I know you didn't have the luxury of having someone to help you back then. It's taken me a long time, but I'm finally home again, and I'm finally in a position to help people."_

_I was about to protest his charity, but he raised a hand in request of silence, as I had done earlier. Since he had heeded my wishes then, I returned the favor now and allowed him to speak his piece. Swallowing back on my objections._

"_I'm not looking to give you pity or charity of any kind. I know you've had a hard life, but those experiences are exactly what may make you invaluable to this company. I asked around about you, with the few contacts I have so far here in Trenton, and old associates in Newark. Your aptitude with electronics and technology could be what sets us apart from every other security outfit on the East Coast. In this business the right equipment can be what draws that fine line between being there on time to save someone, and being there on time to wipe them up off the floor."_

"_That is why I'm offering you what I am. A multitude of reasons. But when you get right down to it, I'm an opportunist Hector, and the profit you could bring to my company is an opportunity I don't wish to miss. What I'm offering you, is no more or less than I've given every man who has signed on with me. With the exception of the added security to keep you alive long enough to get the Kings off your back. You'd be no good to me dead."_

_He hesitated again for a moment, as if there was more yet to come. His next words led me to believe that whatever it was, it would never cross his lips._

"_If that explanation is sufficient, I'd like to call the rest of my team back in and get this moving." Again, not phrased as a question. So I suppose my answer wasn't necessary._

OoOoOoOoO

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

_Author:_ Emerith Damera

_Title:_ Pivot Point (#3)

_Chapter#:_ 2

_Category:_ Angst / Adventure / Romance

_Pairing:_ Hector / Steph / Lester

_Rating:_ Some language, some implied violence.

_Summary: _Hector puts it all on the table.

_Disclaimer:_ The characters in this story (with the exception of Rufio, all mine) belong to Janet Evanovich, I make nothing from them. Just a wee bit of amusement.

_Warning!!_ Really not much of a warning here.. Except maybe an allusion to gasp boys who like each other! snort

Ya'll should know by now I don't write for the light of heart.

_Author's Note: _Thanks for the reviews Babes! And more thanks to the Beta Girls! I figured I'd give you guys this chapter tonight since it's painfully short, and stands right up against the last one. All flashback, hope they haven't gotten annoying yet. And the music still stands. Oh! And Hector has asked me ahead of time, to tell you all, for the sake of clarity, that alma means soul, and cordura means sanity.

Enjoy!

**Pivot Point**

**2**

_We were all once again clustered around one end of the big conference table. All four of them held a look of patience on their faces, but I was positive that patience was in limited supply._

_"I'll give you everything you want, and I will most definitely take your offer of employment. But there are a few conditions I would like to request." Always be prepared to negotiate, no matter how good the deal already is._

_I wavered for a moment myself this time, a little unsure of just how much I would need to reveal in order to obtain what I was after._

"_The man who shot at me yesterday was my.. friend, for a very long time. I have no doubt that the incident was planned, and his involvement was coerced by The Crowns. His death pains me greatly, and it is only that which swayed my decision in your favor." I paused, making it a point to catch eyes with every man at the table. They needed to understand just how serious I was about this. _

_They didn't have my loyalty, or my trust yet, but I would give them my help. In return for their own. If things worked out I could genuinely see myself being comfortable in this world one day. But they had a lot to prove to me before then. I was sure the feeling was mutual. _

"_I will give you everything it is within my power to give. Under the condition that you avenge Rufio on my behalf." My eyes settled on Ranger's as I tried to make him understand. "He was mi alma, mi cordura. I can not allow what they did to go unpunished." A miniscule nod, from Ranger, a twitch really. But it was enough to tell me he understood what I was saying. Jail was too good for these people. Jail wouldn't stop the gangs. It just gave them a secure place to operate from. No fear of authority when the guards were on your payroll as well. _

"_I have one other request." _

_I stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath to clear the fear clogging my throat. Fear that this would be the one thing that would break the deal. When I met Ranger's eyes again it was with a steely determination in my own. _

"_I cannot give you the Primera Corona." My head shook sadly before I could think about the action. All those years I'd spent trying to stay out of things so that I wouldn't be culpable were actually working against me. _

"_I've never known who he is. I've always kept myself on the fringe of things." My eyes slowly dropped from Ranger's to the tabletop. "I wasn't willing to give them my humanity. I kept that for me.. And for Rufio." I'm certain my eyes had been blazing when I brought them back up to scan the faces in front of me._

"_I can however give you the home address of the Segunda Corona. The entire Tribe's handler, and the only man who knows the face of La Primera. Rufio and I have spent the last ten years living in a small room in the back of his home." I slid the piece of paper I'd scribbled the address on last night down the table to Ranger. "You would have my utmost gratitude if our belongings could be salvaged and brought back here for me. It wasn't the best period of my life, but it's all I have and all that's left of Rufio."_

"_If they haven't already tossed our room, you will find a floor safe in the eastern corner beneath the dresser. Inside is two laptops. One labeled Hector, one labeled Koa. Both are encrypted and I will gladly hand over the encryption for the Koa system as long as I never have to see it again. It contains everything you should need. Client lists, pick-up schedules, member lists as well as names of every member who has been 'dropped' since I was brought in. I can give you over thirty homicides that LK is responsible for over the past ten years if you can get that laptop."_

_The entire room held an eerie silence when I stopped talking. As if my words had sucked all the life out of the room. Ranger finally glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand. His eyes coming back up with one eyebrow raised in question. Talk about moderation of words._

"_The names of the 2__nd__, 3__rd__ and 4__th__ Crowns. Those, and the address should be enough to get you what you need. Even without the laptop. Yes. Two of the three were sitting at that table with me and Rufio when you brought me in the other night."_

_If only we could have just done this all right then and there, Rufio might still be alive.. But would I have handed them all over if I hadn't been faced with losing him? I'll never know now.. I'll never know how much differently our life together would have been if I would have taken the initiative to save us._

_Silence descended on the room again. This time I used the opportunity to study the other men at the table. _

_Tank met my gaze with a steady one of his own. He seemed as if he were trying to puzzle me out. At least we were on even footing then._

_Bobby sat directly across the table. Regarding me curiously. Maybe he was finally seeing past the wall of automatic discrimination that most people put up. _

_Lester was proving himself hard to ignore. A beautiful distraction. He sat diagonal from me, fighting a grin at the corners of his mouth. There was a flicker behind emerald eyes that told me he was impressed, but not entirely surprised. Lester hadn't underestimated me. He gained a little bit more of my gratitude that day for that simple look across the table. _

_When I returned to Ranger, he was turning the small paper end over end between his fingers while he considered me thoughtfully. _

"_I can live with those conditions. As a matter of fact, I almost like them. We'll use this to it's highest advantage. In return I give you my word I'll try my best to recover your belongings. By the time you return from Miami I'll have whatever is left waiting in your apartment for you" It seemed as if Ranger would spare no effort in making sure the mess The Latin Kings had made of New Jersey would be set right once again. An honorable man._

_He handed the paper off to Bobby, who was out of his seat with the door swinging shut behind him before I could process the action. Guess Bobby wanted to get this taken care of as badly as I did._

"_Lester can take you back up to the apartment. I'll have Ella come by later to take your measurements for uniforms. There will be a ticket waiting for you in the morning. You'll fly out in the afternoon." No nod, no indication he'd said what he wanted. He just stopped talking and stared at me expectantly._

_Dismissed again._

"_Thank you Ranger. I'll owe you for this, you know that. I don't take my work lightly, you can guarantee you'll get the most out this arrangement." With that I nodded my thanks to both Ranger and Tank before joining Lester at the door and stepping out into a whole new world. _

OoOoOoOoO

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

_Author:_ Emerith Damera

_Title:_ Pivot Point (#3)

_Chapter#:_ 3

_Category:_ Angst / Adventure / Romance

_Pairing:_ Hector / Steph / Lester

_Rating:_ Again, nothing but language and some vague references. I think I'm losing my touch.

_Summary: _Steph has some questions, and Hector's journey has reached a painful place.

_Disclaimer:_ The characters in this story (with the exception of Rufio, all mine) belong to Janet Evanovich, I make nothing from them. Just a wee bit of amusement.

_Warning!!_ Really not much of a warning here.. Except maybe an allusion to gasp boys who like each other! snort

Ya'll should know by now I don't write for the light of heart.

_Author's Note:_ Thanks to everyone for the great reviews. There will be one more chapter after this that I'll put up tomorrow and then Pivot's done. Painfully short I know, but you'll understand when you see where it stops. It was just necessary. And I promise I won't make anyone wait too long for the next part.

Music for this part, is rather aptly, Stabbing Westward - Haunting me

**Pivot Point**

**3**

"So that was what he wanted. Your knowledge to give the company more credibility in the industry."

Steph's voice caught me off guard and I jolted the slightest bit where I lay. Physically dragging my mind back from where it had been stuck. Imagining this very same apartment, empty of most of it's current comforts. When I walked out to leave for Miami there was a pulling, dragging sensation, telling me not to go. To just hide here in this apartment forever. Never face the real world again without Rufio at my side. All of the pain was becoming so fresh again.

"Not entirely Chica. Ranger would have us all believe much more cruelty of him than he's truly capable. Somewhere inside that armor is a man who genuinely cares about the people he keeps close to him. We happen to be three of those people." I knew Stephanie had a skewed version of who Ranger really was, and that was as much his fault as it was hers. They might have been something wonderful one day if they'd both been willing to spend more time in reality.

"He's right Steph. Ranger isn't quite the frozen hearted bastard he comes across as sometimes." Lester chimed in from somewhere over my shoulder. I felt his weight resettle on the bed, I'd never even felt him leave I'd been so caught up.

Something extremely cold and wet touched my shoulder and I jumped, swinging around as Lester held out a bottle of water from the fridge. He tried to keep that sexy little look of innocence on his face, but failed miserably when Stephanie started outright laughing at him.

I snatched the bottle from his hand, scowling at him jestingly. Trying to keep the light hearted nature of their play. Elated to my bones that neither one of them was treating me differently.

Lester and Stephanie wore matching grins as I grumbled and opened the bottle. Lester knew most of the story I was telling now. Maybe not my thoughts or feelings on it, but he had been there when it all started.

"So if that's true guys, then why does he act the way he does? Why always keep me and everyone else at arms length if he actually cares so much? Especially me dammit! He's been yanking my strings like a puppet master for so long I was beginning to think it was like playing a game of Monopoly to him." Stephanie wore her indignation like a winter coat, wrapped around her to keep her safe from harshness.

Uh oh. These are not questions I want to have to answer to Stephanie for. Never did I dream I'd get stuck explaining the complexities of Ranger to this woman. Ranger's motivations weren't even something I had a very good handle on myself. Before I could figure out a logical response, Lester's voice floated softly across the bed.

"It's not that he doesn't care about you Steph. He cares a great deal about you. However he cares more about surviving. For a man like Ranger, letting emotion cloud things could literally end in his death if it chose the wrong moment to happen." Thank you Lester for taking this torture on yourself.

"He doesn't allow himself to love because love can blind you. But not even with his ex-wife did he come as close as he did with you Steph. You've probably got a bigger part of that man's heart than he'd willingly admit exists. He's content to see you happy, and willing to bear any hurt he may suffer from it being with someone else, if it means keeping himself, and you, alive."

Lester plowed on before the look of understanding on Stephanie's face could form into a verbal response.

"Why don't we let Hector continue though. I'm interested to hear what happened in Miami. He never did tell me when he got back, but I'm positive it's worth hearing. I know we've got to be getting close now." He winked at me over Stephanie's shoulder and I fought back the urge to kiss him for answering her questions so easily. If he wanted to know about Miami, he'd know. I think I'd tell this man anything he wanted to hear at this point.

OoOoOoOoO

_Lester had stood on the other side of my apartment, not even bothering to hold back the chuckles as Ella poked and spun me, trying to get my measurements. _

_I was already thinking of it as MY apartment. I considered that a good sign. I'd never before been so willing to think of something as my own. Possessions were overrated._

_Ella had bustled in with a tray full of soup and sandwiches for lunch. She'd properly introduced herself this time, apologizing for her quickness last night. She said her boys were important to her, and she needed to be certain for herself that I wasn't going to cause them trouble before she allowed herself to like me. _

_She assured me an entire wardrobes worth of uniforms would be awaiting me in Miami, then finished her torture and headed for the door, stopping for a moment on her way out to turn back to me._

"_You're one of my boys now too Hector. Just keep in mind, if you act up, you'll wish it was Ranger you were answering to." One eyebrow raised in exactly the same manner Ranger's had earlier in the conference room, joined by a very stern set to her features. _

"_Of course Tia Ella, I would never dream of tarnishing what you have all worked so hard to build here." I sent her my most blinding smile. She smiled in return before shaking her head at me and making her way out of the apartment. _

_Over lunch that afternoon Lester tried to prep me for what I was in for in Miami. Telling me which men on the team would be easy to get along with, and who would be best to just avoid._

_I learned that the Miami office of RangeMan Inc. was handled by Ranger's cousin Macario. A man whom Lester said was tough but fair. _

_I smiled at him when he told me that. _

"_He's just like his mother then I take it, Macario?"_

_Lester's returning smile was as bright as my own._

"_How did you know she was Ranger's Aunt?" Again Lester was impressed, but not surprised. His face wore the same mask of admiration he'd shown when I handed over the information earlier that day. _

_What answer should I give him? I studiously studied the carpet while I slowly comprised my answer._

"_It's there faintly, in the bone structure and the coloring. But the eyebrow lift gave it away. That had to be familial. If I had to guess I'd say probably his mother's side."_

"_In the world I've lived in, being able to know a person's character simply by looking at them, is what will keep you alive. To know how far you can trust them, because you can never trust anyone completely, simply by their actions, their speech, their mannerisms.. It kept Rufio and I alive through a lot of rough shit."_

_I met his eyes across the expanse of empty couch between us. _

_His feet were propped up on the coffee table like he belonged there. One arm slung across the back of the couch. His face as close to open as I thought I'd ever see it. _

_Every time I looked at this man my heart hurt, full of memories I'd never get to recreate. The simple act of sitting around, talking with someone, was something I had only done with Rufio. Such simple everyday things were the core of what we were to each other. We were everything the other needed. Every simple joy, every unhurried thought, every flash of light keeping the darkness at bay. _

_I couldn't hold his eyes. My own eyes stung in a throbbing companion to the ripping pain in my chest. _

_As my eyes slid shut his voice echoed in my head. That helpless ten year old Rufio, begging me to run away from the foster home with him, to find somewhere better and be our own family._

_I hadn't done well without him since. _

_Why hadn't I taken him away from LK when I came back from Juvie and found things off? Why hadn't I gone that distance to keep us together and alive?_

_Because no one runs away from LK. They're everywhere. No one gets out. Plenty of people get 'dropped' though. Usually by the side of a road somewhere with holes in them, unless there's a body of water or a field nearby._

_I never thought I'd be able to get us both out and hidden away somewhere where they couldn't find us. I didn't have the resources to save us._

_Miraculously, Ranger Manoso did, and he was offering me that way out. But it was too late to save Rufio. _

_That guilt was my own to bear._

"_It's not your fault what happened to him Hector." _

"_You don't know that Lester. You don't know anything about me, or Rufio, or what we've been through. Don't presume to absolve me of sins you do not understand." I was near furious at his words, but I didn't understand why. _

"_I do know one thing. I know that you loved him. That much is obvious. You loved him so much that you would never have left him to something like this had you known, or had any way to control it. You're not at fault for any of this." His voice was so steady, so calm. Not only belief, but certainty backing it. _

"_I may not have pulled the trigger, or planned this, but I didn't save him either. I didn't step up when the shadows appeared behind his eyes. I didn't beg him to explain like I wanted to, when the nightmares started. When he couldn't sleep through the night without crying out to me to protect him." Unchecked tears rolled passed my tightly shut eyelids. Dripping to the carpet as I sat on the couch, leant forward, elbows on my knees. The fight was going out of me. "I'd wrap my arms around him every time. Hold him tight against me and tell him everything was fine, we were both safe. But it was a lie. We weren't safe. _He_wasn't safe. And I did nothing to make it better."_

"_You did what you could Hector. Nothing can change it now, nothing ever will. I'd love to say the pain will get better, but it probably won't, it'll just hurt less often."_

_I stood slowly, blinking away bleary eyes as I grabbed the dishes left over from lunch off the coffee table. I made my way into the kitchen and stopped for a moment to rinse them, splashing water on my face as I let the sound of it spattering against the metal of the sink fill my head, drowning everything else out._

_When I came back out of the kitchen Lester was still sitting in the corner of the couch. Less comfortably than before, but still there all the same._

_I thanked him again for listening to me as I made my way to my bed. Not bothering to make eye contact. Figuring he'd get the idea. If he didn't feel like leaving, fine. At this point I wasn't sure that him shooting me in the back while I slept would be an overall bad thing. Bright new future ahead or not. It wasn't that appealing without the person who runs through your every other thought by your side._

_I was flopped face down on the bed and halfway to the land of dreams and nightmares when I heard the door click open._

"_You don't have to keep thanking me Hector. This isn't part of my job, and it isn't a burden. You're an interesting person. I'd like to get to know you, and this is how friends treat each other. So get used to it. I'm still going to be here when you get back from Miami."_

_The door clicked shut and I was enveloped in silence. Sleep blessedly taking me down before my past could roll over me again._

**To be continued…**


End file.
